9/29/2016

Assignment 3

Key terminology Romanesque Period

History 1

Fatma Mohamed-201210448Dr. Seif KHIATI

ButtressesButtresses is an architectural structure built against r projecting from a wall which serves

to support or reinforce the wall

Because of the massive nature of Romanesque walls, buttresses are not a highly significant feature, as they are in Gothic architecture. Romanesque buttresses are generally of flat square profile and do not project a great deal beyond the wall. In the case of aisled churches, barrel vaults, or half-barrel vaults over the aisles helped to buttress the nave, if it was vaulted.

In the cases where half-barrel vaults were used, they effectively became like flying buttresses. Often aisles extended through two stories, rather than the one usual in Gothic architecture, so as to better support the weight of a vaulted nave. In the case of Durham Cathedral, flying buttresses have been employed, but are hidden inside the triforium gallery.

Monasticismor monkhood is a religious way of life in which one

renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Males pursuing a monastic life are generally called monks while female monastics are called nuns, lives in monasteries to stay away from the secular world  was established by the monk Benedict in the 6th century.

The monasteries were the major seats of learning of all sorts. Benedict had ordered that all the arts were to be taught and practiced in the monasteries. Within the monasteries books were transcribed by hand, and few people outside the monasteries could read or write.

Corbel TableCorbel table, in architecture, a continuous row of corbels (a block of

stone projecting from a wall and supporting some heavy feature), usually occurring just below the eaves of a roof in order to fill in beneath a high-pitched roof and to give extra support. It was a popular architectural feature in early medieval churches, particularly in Romanesque buildings, in which the corbels were carved and elaborately ornamented with decorative motifs, such as fancifully sculptured grotesques.

Ornaments & Patterns: -

- Fresco PaintingsPainting on the church walls were used for decorating vaults and altars to lit people

understand the bible.

- ChevronA zigzag molding used in Romanesque arches.

- Billetmolding formed by a series of circular, cylinders, disposed alternately with the notches in

single or multiple rows.

- Lozengestongue-like protrusions. A diamond shape decoration found carved on pillars, arches.

- Staralso called chip-carved star, motive star flower, or saltire cross.

- Cablea convex molding carved in imitation of a rope or cord, and used to decorate the moldings of the Romanesque style.

- Stained glass

2 types of Romanesque Arches

Around Arches- Semi Circular Arch

Around arch whose intrados in a full semicircle.

- Segmented ArchA shallow arch, an arch that is less than a semicircle

- Stilted ArchAn arch whose curve begins above the impost line.

- Horseshoe Archalso called the Moorish arch and the Keyhole arch

Doorways with tympanumIn architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over

an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element. In ancient Greek and Roman and in Christian architecture tympana usually contain religious imagery

Also called Romanesque Portal which acted as the focal point of the ornament.

ArcadesAn arcade is a row of arches, supported on piers or columns. They occur in the

interior of large churches, separating the nave from the aisles, and in large secular interiors spaces, such as the great hall of a castle, supporting the timbers of a roof or upper floor. Arcades also occur in cloisters and atriums, enclosing an open space.

Door portal diagram

- Tympanum: the surface enclosed by the arch and lintel of an arched doorway, frequently carved with relief sculptures.

- Lintel: a horizontal beam spanning an opening, as over a window or door, or between two posts.

- Trumeau: doorpost supporting lintel.- Jamb: the side of a doorway or window frame. The jambs of the portals of

Romanesque and Gothic churches are frequently decorated with figure sculpture.

PiersIn Romanesque architecture, piers were often employed to support arches. They

were built of masonry and square or rectangular in section, generally having a horizontal molding representing a capital at the springing of the arch. Sometimes piers have vertical shafts attached to them, and may also have horizontal moldings at the level of the base.

ColumnsColumns are an important structural feature of Romanesque architecture. attached

shafts are also used structurally and for decoration. Monolithic columns cut from a single piece of stone were frequently used in Italy, as they had been in Roman and Early Christian architecture.[1] They were also used, particularly in Germany, when they alternated between more massive piers. Arcades of columns cut from single pieces are also common in structures that do not bear massive weights of masonry, such as cloisters, where they are sometimes paired.

Ambulatoryin church architecture the term usually refers to a walkway behind the high altar, linking it with chapels at the east end of the church and with aisles either side of the chancel.

Alter The holiest part of a church. In the medieval period the altar was a table or rectangular slab made of stone or marble, often set upon a raised step. After the Reformation the stone altars were replaced by wooden communion tables.

Crossing The point where the chancel, nave, and transepts meet. The crossing junction often involves an elaborate system of arches, as each arm of the church must be supported where it meets the others. In some churches the arches supporting the crossing rise up to form a lantern tower above the crossing. The interior of these crossing towers can be highly decorated, as at Ely Cathedral.

TransverseThe transverse arms of a church. Most churches were aligned east-west, with the chancel at the east end and a nave at the west. Larger churches augmented these two main sections with transerve sections on a north-south axis. Transepts could be short, little more than the depth of a small chapel, or as lengthy as a small church in itself! The point where transepts join the nave and chancel is known as the crossing.

ApseThe polygonal or semi-circular end of a church, usually roofed with a vaulted ceiling or a dome. In ancient Rome the basilica had an apse at both ends and this style became the norm in early Christian churches. Medieval churches, particularly on the European continent, had one or more apses at the eastern end of the church. These were generally rounded in Europe, but a square termination was more common in Britain.

Clerestory An upper story of a church, raised above the level of the aisles. The clerestory is often pierced with large windows, admitting welcome light into the nave. Many medieval churches were initially constructed without clerestories, but growing wealth and improved architectural techniques during the medieval period led to expansion upward, pushing the height of the nave up above the aisles, with the addition of a clerestory with windows. In some large churches the clerestory is topped with a third story, called a triforium, often with blank arcading in place of windows.

CanopyA projecting covering or hood, usually above a statue, altar, or tomb. The most elaborate canopies are often seen over tomb openings or recesses.

Crypt

An underground (or partly underground) chamber, usually located beneath the chancel, for holy relics and burials. Crypts could be extremely large and might contain one or more altars in separate chapels. Crypts might hold the shrine of a saint, and thus woulds have to be large enough to accommodate pilgrims coming to pray at the shrine.

Reference

http://www.slideshare.net/maggmiss/romanesque-architecture-english-vocabulary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanesque_architecture

https://global.britannica.com/technology/corbel-table

http://www.britainexpress.com/church-history.htm?term=Transept